1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is direct towards a retrieval device structured to be mounted to an extension apparatus to permit a user to pick up an object with little or no bending. In one embodiment, the retrieval device is mounted to the head of a tennis racquet, and is utilized to allow a player to retrieve a tennis ball from the ground without bending down to do the same. Additionally, the retrieval device of the present invention allows a player to pick up a tennis ball and to release the ball for service with one hand.
2. Description of the Related Art
As people live longer, many find they have more time for leisure and turn to athletic activities that may, at times, be somewhat difficult due to advancing age. Among these activities are various sports including some type of ball and a racquet, such as tennis, racquetball, squash, just to name a few. A common element of these sports is the fact that when a player misses an intended shot, the ball ends up on the ground and must be picked up to be placed back into play. Throughout the course of a match, or even a single game, the repeated bending to retrieve the ball may create such additional physical stress on the player that their enjoyment of the sport is significantly diminished, perhaps to the point where the player abandons the sport altogether. This repetitive bending may also be prohibitive to person's having physical limitations for other reasons, such as loss of a limb or limited mobility, that otherwise may be able to enjoy these athletic activities.
To address this problem, several devices have been developed in attempts to assist a player in picking up a ball without bending. One such device utilizes a used tennis ball, which has a lower quadrant removed and a plurality of vertical slits from the open end to above the midline to form a plurality of gripping fingers. The used tennis ball is attached to the end of the handle of a tennis racquet via a mounting unit which is threadedly connected to the handle. The device is placed overtop of a tennis ball which is on the ground, and as pressure is applied, the gripping fingers expand over the tennis ball and are supposed to retain the tennis ball in place so that it may be picked up off of the ground.
While this device may allow a user to pick up a tennis ball from the ground, it has several inherent disadvantages. To begin, the handle of a modern tennis racquet typically comprises a hollow configuration having the open end covered by a thin plastic cap or endpiece. As such, it is questionable whether the above device can be securely attached to the handle in the proposed manner, and even if the device can be secured, the racquet, at least the cap or endpiece, will be irreparably damaged in the process. In addition, the above device is bulky and impacts the weight and balance of the racquet, which are precise design elements of a modern tennis racquet, thereby affecting the performance of the racquet. Also, this device is positioned on the racquet such that it physically interferes with the player during use, and is aesthetically unappealing. Furthermore, such a device will need to be removed to store the racquet in a standard case, however, repeated removal and reinstallation of such a device will only serve to exacerbate the problem with regard to securing the device and damage to the racquet. Another disadvantage of such a handle mounted device is that the player must release their grip of the racquet, grasp it by the head portion, pick up the ball, and then readjust their grip on the racquet to resume play.
Another device, also structured to be attached to the handle of a racquet, comprises a plurality of flexible petals positioned around a ball receiving recess. The petals include nap catching pins which project into the recess. When this device is forced over a tennis ball, the petals expand outwardly allowing the ball into the recess, and the nap catching pins are elastically forced into the nap of the ball to hold it in the recess so it may be lifted off the ground. Aside from the problems of a handle mounted device, as noted above, the nap catching pins add the further disadvantage of damaging the tennis ball by repeatedly picking up the ball by the nap.
Several other devices have been developed which encompass various arrangements of flexible arms or pins to pick up a tennis ball, all of which suffer the disadvantages of such handle mounted devices, as noted above. Several other devices have been developed which comprise some variation of a hook and loop type of fastener attached to the handle of a racquet to grip the ball to be picked up, some of these device being structured to be lightweight and unobtrusive so as to overcome at least some of the foregoing disadvantages of such handle mounted devices, however, each of these devices still result in damage to the ball by repeatedly lifting the ball by the nap.
Thus, it would be beneficial to provide an improved retrieval device to be mounted to a racquet having negligible impact on the weight and balance of the racquet, thereby maintaining its design performance characteristics. Additionally, it would be helpful for such an improved retrieval device to be structured to be mounted to a racquet in a physically and aesthetically unobtrusive manner. A further advantage may be realized from such an improved retrieval device by providing a device which may be attached and detached to a racquet without damage thereto. Also, it would be preferable for such an improved retrieval device to permit a ball to be picked up without damaging the ball in the process. Any such improved retrieval device should further be structured so as to permit a racquet to be stored in a standard storage case without detaching the device from the racquet. Another beneficial feature for such an improved retrieval device would be to permit the device to be operated by a player without requiring the player to release their grip on the handle of the racquet.